Who is Post Malone? The Grammy-nominated musician is set to perform at the Super Bowl for the first time in his career.
Malone, also known to fans as “Posty,” will sing “America the Beautiful” during the pre-game ceremonies for Super Bowl LVIII. He’ll be part of the 2024 NFL championship’s music entertainment, along with Super Bowl halftime show headliner Usher, national anthem singer Reba McEntire, and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” performer Andra Day.
Here are five things to know about Post Malone:
1. He’s a Syracuse native.
Post Malone was born Austin Richard Post on July 4, 1995, in Syracuse, N.Y. He lived in Central New York until he was 10, when his family moved to Texas because his father was offered a job working for the Dallas Cowboys. He currently lives in Utah, but his family still owns a home in Baldwinsville.
Malone tells fans he “comes from/reps” Dallas — he even has a tattoo of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas — but his musical roots still began in Syracuse.
His father, Rich Post, told syracuse.com that he was a heavy metal/hair band fan but he also worked as a disc jockey for CNY weddings with Whirlin’ Disc DJs, so he was constantly listening to popular tunes and other genres that couples requested. That meant his son Austin was also hearing a wide range of music, including country, grunge, modern hip-hop and classic rock.
2. He’s a music superstar.
Malone, 28, is a Grammy-nominated singer and rapper known for hits like “Circles,” “Better Now,” “Rockstar,” “White Iverson,” “Psycho,” “I Fall Apart,” “Chemical,” “Sunflower” and “I Like You (A Happier Song).” He’s released five albums and collaborated with big names like Justin Bieber, Tiesto, Lil Wayne, Noah Kahan, DJ Khaled, Ozzy Osbourne and Hardy’s Hixtape — plus he’ll be a guest on Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Post Malone attends the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame & Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show press conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)Getty Images
The RIAA announced this month that “Sunflower,” his Swae Lee collaboration for the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” soundtrack, became the first-ever single to be certified Double-Diamond. That’s 20 times Platinum, or more than 20 million equivalent sales. He’s also scored more RIAA Diamond Certified Singles (eight) than any other artist and recently received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal Davis Starlight Award.
He’s performed to big audiences, too, including the Grammy Awards, “Saturday Night Live,” NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert,” and multiple major festivals, plus launched a new outdoor stage in New York City’s Times Square.
3. He has a wide range of other business ventures.
Posty will appear in a 2024 Super Bowl commercial for Bud Light, one of several brands he’s partnered with in his career. He’s also acted in movies like “Spenser Confidential” and “Wrath of Man”; helped launch a professional beer pong league; has his own rosé wine (Maison No. 9), clothing brand (Trading Post Apparel), and a line of Crocs; and rebooted a global play program for Magic: The Gathering. He’s even reportedly planning to launch his own beer brand.
Here’s Post Malone in Anheuser-Busch’s big game ad for Bud Light, featuring a “genie,” Peyton Manning and UFC CEO Dana White:
4. Yes, he’s got a lot of tattoos.
Post Malone is instantly recognizable for his many tattoos, including on his face, which got him denied entry at a bar in Australia once. The list of his ink reportedly includes “Always Tired” under his eyes; his daughter’s initials, “DDP,” and barbed wire on his forehead; “Stoney” (his 2016 album title) under his chin; a bloody buzzsaw on his cheek; a skull on his skull; a Playboy bunny logo on his arm; blackjack playing cards; a Cowboys football helmet; the Anheuser-Busch logo; a snake wrapped around a gun; and tributes to Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan. He also has outlines of Texas and New York inked behind his ears, honoring the two states where he grew up.
5. He once saw a UFO in Upstate New York.
Malone talked about aliens and ghosts during a 2020 interview with Joe Rogan, who said they consumed psychedelic mushrooms before a nearly four-hour discussion for the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. Malone claimed he saw a UFO while staying with family as a teenager.
“I’ve seen one. I was probably 16. I was in Upstate New York,” he said. “Let me precursor this: My aunt and uncle were very strict, and we had to go to bed at very strict deadline, probably 10 p.m. I was looking out the window with my cousin and it’s just a light that just stays there and then just f---in’ goes off... You can’t explain it.”
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